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mt_books_bravo's review
4.0
I’m a sucker for a second chance romance but I’ve never read a third chance romance before! Blame it on the Brontës is the story of Athena and Thornes third chance at love. Athena is attempting to revive her academic career while also giving her old relationship a new chance. I thought the main characters had really good chemistry and I enjoyed their banter back-and-forth. Athena is tough to root for at times, she’s grumpy and annoying (but honestly so am I). It’s kind of nice to read a character who is not perfect and adorable all the time! Blame it on the Brontës is a dual point of view (which is my favorite) and was a really good, well-paced read. There were a lot of classic literature references, hello Brontë sisters, that readers of classics definitely will enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
_basicbookworm's review
3.0
Athena is an English professor who has reached a point in her career where she needs to publish or lose her job. She decides to write a biography on the elusive author CL Garland and uncovering her secret identity. This means she needs to return to her hometown, which means seeing her ex almost every single day.
This was a sweet slow burn, closed door, second chance romance with a lot of literary references. This had a lot of potential to be a really cute book, but it was almost too much of a slow burn for me, and didn’t always hold my attention when reading.
I switched between ebook and audiobook for this one and enjoyed Katie Schorr as a narrator. For me, the audiobook actually held my attention better in this case and I believe that was thanks to Katie’s narration.
Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
This was a sweet slow burn, closed door, second chance romance with a lot of literary references. This had a lot of potential to be a really cute book, but it was almost too much of a slow burn for me, and didn’t always hold my attention when reading.
I switched between ebook and audiobook for this one and enjoyed Katie Schorr as a narrator. For me, the audiobook actually held my attention better in this case and I believe that was thanks to Katie’s narration.
Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
notinjersey's review
3.0
This book took me way too long to read. It was slow. And the romance was slower, with the main characters uniting, having a conflict, and reuniting all at the very end of the book. There were a lot of literary references in this book and maybe if I was a fan of the classics I would have appreciated this book more. I didn’t find Athena to be all that smart, although she is said to have a PhD. I did like all the random side characters in a town that reminded me of the Gilmore Girls.
honeywhiskey's review
3.0
Got me out of a reading slump, but generally written sloppily. The good parts read like a cozy romance set in a cafe but the worst parts read like an obvious mystery trying to sound smart and failing.
emilyjmasters's review
2.0
i don't even know what to say. i kept reading it because it truly was a bit of a trainwreck but here are some highlights (kind of more like lowlights) from the text:
"And he lifted her like the hero he was and carried her to his bedroom, leading the way with his triumphant penis, swelling like every throbbing member in every bodice ripper ever written."
"Feminists forbid him, but Thorne did like a woman with an ample bosom. Regressive maybe, but Athena's bountiful breasts had imprinted on him forever."
the queer characters felt EXTREMELY two-dimensional and throw-away. the mystery of who CL Garland was and the fallout was obvious and took forever. the FMC spent a solid 10% of the book waking up hungover.
this book meandered and wandered and was so close to being okay-to-good, and then you'd just get a sentence like above and rethink your entire life.
"And he lifted her like the hero he was and carried her to his bedroom, leading the way with his triumphant penis, swelling like every throbbing member in every bodice ripper ever written."
"Feminists forbid him, but Thorne did like a woman with an ample bosom. Regressive maybe, but Athena's bountiful breasts had imprinted on him forever."
the queer characters felt EXTREMELY two-dimensional and throw-away. the mystery of who CL Garland was and the fallout was obvious and took forever. the FMC spent a solid 10% of the book waking up hungover.
this book meandered and wandered and was so close to being okay-to-good, and then you'd just get a sentence like above and rethink your entire life.
smilesgiggle's review
4.0
Second Chance somewhat enemies to loves as they are no longer friends, lots of tension between Athena and Thorne.
Athena is sent back home - her small, non-interesting, couldn't escape fast midwestern town. Somehow her mother and father failed to mention her ex moved recently - and acquired the much loved café. Where Athena secured a job from her mother's long time bestie - except she's on hiatus. And also failed to mention Thorne purchased the café from her before ditching town. Seriously. Someone could have told her.
But no fear - Athena straps on her mom's sensible shoes, waitresses the crap out of the café and not so subtly pumps the patrons for local gossip. Specifically about the hottest new best seller - a hidden identity of a hugely successful erotica author. Living in the town. But no one knows nothing.
Working with Thorne brings back the utter humiliation of their horrible breakup - while stoking the fire they have for each other. The long literary conversations. Their acting, reading poetry college days.
And of course the dog.
Very enjoyable book. Loved it!
Athena is sent back home - her small, non-interesting, couldn't escape fast midwestern town. Somehow her mother and father failed to mention her ex moved recently - and acquired the much loved café. Where Athena secured a job from her mother's long time bestie - except she's on hiatus. And also failed to mention Thorne purchased the café from her before ditching town. Seriously. Someone could have told her.
But no fear - Athena straps on her mom's sensible shoes, waitresses the crap out of the café and not so subtly pumps the patrons for local gossip. Specifically about the hottest new best seller - a hidden identity of a hugely successful erotica author. Living in the town. But no one knows nothing.
Working with Thorne brings back the utter humiliation of their horrible breakup - while stoking the fire they have for each other. The long literary conversations. Their acting, reading poetry college days.
And of course the dog.
Very enjoyable book. Loved it!
bernadettebloom's review
4.0
Athena is a literature professor who's passionate about the Brontë sisters, and teaching their novels. She once thought she had her own literary hero, Thorne Kent, her college boyfriend and the love of her life. But when she moved to San Francisco and he chose a different path, it wasn't meant to be. Now Athena is stuck in a job she hates, having to publish something in order to keep it. With no other choice she takes a leave of absence, returns to her hometown, and sets about trying to find the identity of the reclusive C.L. Garland, a writer who eroticizes the classics, so she can save her job. What she finds is former boyfriend, Thorne, running the local cafe.
As a fan of Wuthering Heights, I enjoyed this one. Athena's brother was a great bonus to the story. Her dad, and mom? Not so much. I figured out the twist right away so it got frustrating having to wait for the reveal. But overall, a decent story with some great banter.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.
As a fan of Wuthering Heights, I enjoyed this one. Athena's brother was a great bonus to the story. Her dad, and mom? Not so much. I figured out the twist right away so it got frustrating having to wait for the reveal. But overall, a decent story with some great banter.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.
maggiementions's review
5.0
Athena takes time off from her professorship to write a book and get published so she can keep her position at the college. When she heads home to Illinois she finds her ex Thorne has ended up back home as well. In order to try to get information to write her book Athena works alongside Thorne, which is easier said then done given their history. What Athena doesn’t know is Thorne has been hiding a family secret for years, whilst she is trying to uncover the secret identity of a famous writer. Will all the secret end up tearing Athena and Thorne apartment, or bring them closer together again? I really enjoyed this book, and loved all the Brontë quotes at the start of each chapter. Not to mention some other Easter eggs as well. I do recommend this one and plan on rereading it again in the near future!
mckellstar's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
** Thank you to Net Galley for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. **
'Blame It On the Brontës' threw me for a bit of a loop! Throughout the first half of the book, I was enraptured- I could not put it down! The second half, however, had some pacing issues for me, and some moments were a little too unbelievable. However, I still really enjoyed my time in Laurel, Illinois and getting to meet all of the regular clientele at the As You Like It café. This book had a very cozy, heartwarming, and melodramatic undertone (because of all the parallels to literary classics such as 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre') and it worked!
I really loved getting to know the town of Laurel and its inhabitants; I thought Annie Sereno did a very good job at creating real side characters and not just characterizations of people; some were maybe a little bit over the top, but coming from a small town myself, it really isn't that far from the truth, so it didn't bother me. One thing that did bother me, however, was the way Athena and Thorne's relationship evolved (or re-evolved ?? because this is a third chance romance, haha). I wish there had been a smoother progression between the two of them instead of how it ended up. It felt a little rushed at the end to me, and I would have really liked to see them mature a bit more together instead of having all of their realizations suddenly all at once in the last few chapters.
At the end of the day, I ended up giving this book a 3/5 just because of the disconnect I felt between the pacing and some of the characters' choices in the second half, but all in all I thought this was a sweet read! Definitely would recommend to literary buffs or fans of lighthearted romance reads. :) Looking forward to reading another one of her books in the future!
** Thank you to Net Galley for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. **
'Blame It On the Brontës' threw me for a bit of a loop! Throughout the first half of the book, I was enraptured- I could not put it down! The second half, however, had some pacing issues for me, and some moments were a little too unbelievable. However, I still really enjoyed my time in Laurel, Illinois and getting to meet all of the regular clientele at the As You Like It café. This book had a very cozy, heartwarming, and melodramatic undertone (because of all the parallels to literary classics such as 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre') and it worked!
I really loved getting to know the town of Laurel and its inhabitants; I thought Annie Sereno did a very good job at creating real side characters and not just characterizations of people; some were maybe a little bit over the top, but coming from a small town myself, it really isn't that far from the truth, so it didn't bother me. One thing that did bother me, however, was the way Athena and Thorne's relationship evolved (or re-evolved ?? because this is a third chance romance, haha). I wish there had been a smoother progression between the two of them instead of how it ended up. It felt a little rushed at the end to me, and I would have really liked to see them mature a bit more together instead of having all of their realizations suddenly all at once in the last few chapters.
At the end of the day, I ended up giving this book a 3/5 just because of the disconnect I felt between the pacing and some of the characters' choices in the second half, but all in all I thought this was a sweet read! Definitely would recommend to literary buffs or fans of lighthearted romance reads. :) Looking forward to reading another one of her books in the future!